When to submit a site in dev ?

[JCary]

Hi --

I am currently developing a community for actors web site, and don't plan to launch before September. But I've been reading up on search engine submissions, and I read that it could take 30-90 days before getting listed on most engines.

Therefor, what procedure could I / should I take to get the most out of the process:
should I publish a general home page now and submit it so my site will be indexed by my launch? Do I need to wait until my entire site is live before submitting? What about losing out on those 30-90 days -- or is that just the way it goes?!

thanks for any input.

--Joshua

[KeithMcL]

You should visit www.promotionbase.com for advice on search engine submission.

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KeithMcL - kmcluk@aol.com
http://www.webmasterswork.com - #1 source for web developer jobs online.
http://www.webdesignreviews.com - Reviews by the experts.

[Dan Grossman]

My advice, since you still have a month before opening, is to submit your homepage now. You should have a listing in most search engines by the time you open, not a month afterwards.

For more promotion tips visit my site.

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Dan (webmaster@webdevportal.com)
http://www.webdevportal.com -
The customizable portal for webmasters!

[TWTCommish]

I'd have to disagree...you may not get more than one or two chances to get listed in some of the major search engines...so why not hit them with all you've got? The reviewed might be the type to be turned off by partially constructed sites...I wouldn't risk it with a major engine like Yahoo, Google, AOL or AltaVista.



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Chris Bowyer – chris@mycoding.com
MyCoding.com: Visit for Launch Notification!
DomainMailings.com: Who Says All The Good Ones Are Taken?
MovieForums.com: Talk About Your Favorite Flicks!

[JCary]

(Thanks for the replies!)

So what you're saying, TWTCommish, is to wait until I publish mt entire site, then submit it all at once (each page), and use other promotional strategies in the mean time to drive traffic before my listings hit most of the engines?

--Joshua

[Dan Grossman]

Hey hey be careful there, though!

Read each search engine's rules VERY CAREFULLY - many want you to submit ONLY your main page, some want you to wait two weeks between pages in your site, etc. If you're not careful, they'll only ban your site from their databases entirely.

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Dan Grossman (webmaster@webdevportal.com)
http://www.webdevportal.com -
The customizable portal for webmasters!

[JCary]

So WebDevPortal,

Following each engine's rules, the question I have still is, let's say for example, one wants only my main index page. While I'm creating my entire site, should I publish and submit a "rough draft" of my index page now (before entire site completion) so by the time it gets indexed (30-90 days?!) it will be ready and live with the rest of my site up too?

--Joshua

[Cloughie]

listen to Commish, just wait untill you have it 100% finished. Engines are unpredictable, you might get lucky (or in your case ublucky) and you site could show up in 3 or 4 days.

Don't risk it. Wait till you have finished then submit

[JCary]

Thanks for the input.

I never was looking to risk anything, I just wanted to know how it's usually done! I now can rest easy knowing that I'm taking the proper path by simply waiting until it's 100% published, then submit!

--Joshua

[Hierophant]

I disagree. If you plan your site out in advance, one of the first things you can make is the index page. Then put some content in each category. As you do this activate the links on the main page. Once you have some content in each category or at least a description, then submit it while you flesh out the site.

The concept of developing a site to completion is a foreign concept on the Internet. A website is not like a brick and mortar store or a brochure, there is no completion. Well at least there is no completion if you want to stay in business. You'll constantly be remodeling the site, adding or subtracting features and similar tasks.

Submit your site when you feel comfortable in submitting it. If you think it is going to be popular submit it immediately, start a newsletter and get subscriptions so you can tell people about your official launch when it happens.

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Wayne Luke - Sitepoint Forums Administrator
Digital Magician Magazine - MetaQuark Creations (Coming Soon)
wayne@sitepoint.com

[garoth]

I agree with the last post - a site is never finished. Mine has been on-line for a couple of years and is always changing. The thing to do is to get your default or home page ready, along with a basic layout for your other pages - you don't want any empty links. Be sure to make good use of your Meta tags, then go ahead and submit. Then you can continue filling out the content of your pages as you continue to develop the site.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote/font><HR>Originally posted by JCary:
Hi --

I am currently developing a community for actors web site, and don't plan to launch before September. But I've been reading up on search engine submissions, and I read that it could take 30-90 days before getting listed on most engines.

Therefor, what procedure could I / should I take to get the most out of the process:
should I publish a general home page now and submit it so my site will be indexed by my launch? Do I need to wait until my entire site is live before submitting? What about losing out on those 30-90 days -- or is that just the way it goes?!

thanks for any input.

--Joshua<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>